foundation brushes!

So, I was wondering what everyone's favorite foundation brushes are to apply light to medium coverage liquid foundation. I tend to mostly use my hands to apply my foundation initially and then use a brush to deposit in on areas that need a little more attention... but then I have to use my hands again to smooth it out because I find using brushes makes my make up look streaky.

Does anyone have any foundation brushes they can't live without that apply foundation evenly without looking streaky? I would love your recommendations.

Re: foundation brushes!

Another tip for foundation application that some people don't practice is: Do not apply too much at once. Use a thin layer. Let it absorb a minute or two. (Do something else, fill your brows, choose your eyeshadow, etc.) Apply another thin layer of foundation only if you need it and concentrate where you need it. Most of the time streaks occur from too much makeup that hasn't absorbed. I always apply my foundation from the back of my hand.

I tend to use the sephora brush more but they both give flawless finish--no streaks. I don't know much about which brush is for what coverage but I only buy light to medium coverage foundations and these brushes apply liquid foundations beautifully.

Re: foundation brushes!

Thank you so, so much for all your recommendations! They're very helpful. I've never really had much of a brush collection because I just can't justify spending $20-$30 on a single brush, but I think I need to just suck it up and invest in a really good foundation brush. I never seem to like the application of a flat foundation brush and, though I really like my beauty blender sponge, it has more of a sheer coverage so I used it mostly to even everything out.

Re: foundation brushes!

if you want a cheap but good brush look into Real Techniques. There Expert Face Brush is really good. I got mine from Ulta, there having a special. Buy one get the other half off. Those are affordable and great quality

Re: foundation brushes!

I don't like the appearance of flat foundation brushes either. I concur with viviene23 that the foundation brush from hourglass is nice. It can be used for stippling on your foundation. It was recommended to me by one of the Sephora M/U artists when I needed to purchase a new foundation brush before my wedding. I hadn't used liquid foundation in a while and only had brushes for mineral. I wasn't up to date on the newer brushes like stippling brushes. She also said it's great for applying other types of powders too. Although if you are a brush newbie, I recommend you assign just one purpose/product for your brush but you have the option to use it on other occasions with other products. Not all brushes need to be expensive. I've used lots of brushes, it has more to do with whether the texture is right for what you are applying and if it gives you the result you want. There's no right or wrong with makeup, just right for you. When Bare Minerals came out I used their brushes, but I switched to Ecotools brushes because they are sustainable, nice soft texture, and texture withstands brush cleanings. My Bare Minerals brushes became rough and brittle and dry after cleanings!

Re: foundation brushes!

Real techniques brushes never ever made me look streaky. (I have since moved on to using a beauty blender.) But I do have my brushes and can't wait until summer when my skin is less dry and flaky so I can go back to using my Real Techniques expert face brush! It deposits product so nicely and never looks streaky.

Re: foundation brushes!

I LOVE my Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush. (say that 3X fast lol) I use it with my UD Naked Skin foundation and with YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation. I used makeup sponges for years and thought that was the best way to apply foundation until I found this brush. It has a dense, round head that can be used to stipple, swirl, and buff. I always get great results. I find I use far less foundation than I used to and I believe I am getting a much better finish.

Re: foundation brushes!

I love using my real techniques expert face brush or stippling brush---love them both. They really work the foundation into the face and make it look like perfect SKIN instead of a layer of mask on your face. LOVE. Some foundations I find, apply best/give much more coverage with fingers (like kat von d lock it tattoo foundation or flower beauty about face). But I really don't like using my fingers because then I have to wash my hands before and after applying foundation....very time consuming. Other than that, I love a good blending sponge--I have Cynthia Rowley and its amazing

Re: foundation brushes!

I have been eyeing that Tarte brush for a while but I can't really talk myself into buying a 34$ single brush. However if it were to ever go on sale or someone bought it for me I'd be on it like a fly on...nevermind.

Re: foundation brushes!

My favorite type of brush for any coverage, from light to full, is a flat-top kabuki type brush. I find it evenly distributes the foundation for a flawless finish. If I want lighter coverage, i simply use a smaller amount of product, and for fuller coverage I use more product. My favorite brush so far is the Sigma F 80.

Re: foundation brushes!

I too love stippling brushes, but my current favorite is the HD Airbrush foundation which is great for a litlte more blending and concentration if your foundation formula is a bit heavier.

I love to use makeup sponges as well since they're pretty easy to use and great to diffuse lines and texture but try lylysa's tip of wetting the sponge first to keep them from absorbing all the makeup.

Re: foundation brushes!

For light to medium coverage foundations, I like using a stippling brush as the variations of the bristles allow for a soft application and more diffused look to the distribution of product.

The constant rotation and buffing lotion with the brush avoids leaving brush streaks or visible strokes to the eyes and prevents the issue to make up looking caked on. Sephora and Too Faced make some pretty good versions.

Put a drop of foundation on your hand and use the brush to pick some up and apply rather than apply the product directly to the brush. This will allow your to work with a limited amount of product to prevent overloading skin all at once or issues with blending out product from one area.

For fuller coverage, a nice take on a traditional, flat foundation brush and also some great middle ground is a buffing brush or a flat topped brush. These look like mini kabuki brushes, but are shorter and denser, with either rounded, domed tops or flat tops. These are used like stippling brushes, in a buffing manner, but the close, compact bristles provide more coverage like a traditional brush but without the streaks. Urban Decay and Cargo make great ones.

Sponges are another option, but rather than let it absorb all your product, wet it a bit and wring out the excess water, that way the sponge's absorbtion is taken care of by the water and it won't take on too much of your foundation. Sephora and Beauty Blender make some great sponge options.